WCA November 2015

From the Americas The new rail cars will replace Orange Line cars in service for 32 years and Red Line cars that have been operating for 44 years.  Mr Mouawad suggested that the presence of a new rail car manufacturer in the USA might provide impetus for cities and states that are considering modernisation of their transit systems or are looking into high-speed rail. Such a development would apparently suit CRRC very well. In his previous job as chairman of Tangshan Railway Vehicle, which is owned by CRRC, Mr Yu oversaw the design and manufacture of one of the fastest high-speed trains in the world, with an average speed of 218 miles an hour. He told the Times that his company was eager to apply the lessons learned in China. Speaking through a translator he said, “With our expertise in this field, we would like to partner with whichever [USA] states see the need and continue to be a good partner and help create local jobs.” Ten ‘radical’ automakers will offer standard robotic braking in a bid to curb US deaths, injuries, repairs and insurance premiums One-third of all car crashes on American roads are rear-end collisions, with a driver hit from behind every 17 seconds. Now, in what automotive reporter Jerry Hirsh of the Los Angeles Times terms “a radical move,” ten of the world’s largest automakers will begin making automatic emergency braking a standard feature in future models sold in the USA. Joined by federal safety regulators and an insurance industry trade group, the automakers announced in September that they will adopt systems that use on-vehicle sensors such as radar, cameras or lasers to detect an imminent crash; warn the driver; and, if the driver takes no action, engage the brakes. (“Automakers Vow to Put the Brakes on Rear-End Collisions,” 11 th September) The automakers – Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo – all agreed to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a timeline for installing automatic braking as a standard feature in all vehicles they sell in the USA. Taken together, the ten companies accounted for 57 per cent of US auto sales in 2014. “The announcement brings the rapidly changing auto industry one step closer to self-driving vehicles,” wrote Mr Hirsh, who noted that many cars sold in the US are already available with automated safety features. These include cruise control that speeds and slows with traffic, lane departure alerts with steering assistance, and high beams that switch on in the absence of oncoming cars. Additionally, many cars are equipped with automatic braking. Automotive

Mercedes-Benz offers a standard front-crash-prevention system in its 2015 C-Class, CLA and E-Class sedans. Volvo in 2014 made low-speed automatic emergency braking standard on all its vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry trade group, said 52 per cent of the 784 models available in the USA this year come with technology that alerts a driver to a pending crash as either a standard or an optional feature. Among those models, 27 per cent also offer robotic braking. That is more than twice as many as in the 2012 model year. But often the feature is an expensive option. Mr Hirsh reported that Honda charges an extra $1,000 for a safety package that includes automatic braking for its Accord sedan and Pilot sport-utility vehicle. Subaru groups robotic braking with such amenities as a moon roof in a package that adds $2,595 to the sticker price of its popular Impreza. (Neither company joined the ten “taking the pledge” in September. Another absentee – Nissan – said in a statement that it was not asked to be included but planned to discuss the proposal with NHTSA.) Near-unanimity on robotic braking There is compelling incentive for making robotic braking mandatory. According to NHTSA, it helps prevent or reduce the impact of the rear-end collisions implicated in 33 per cent of all crashes on the road. The IIHS said its research found that automatic braking systems can reduce insurance injury claims by as much as 35 per cent. Automatic emergency braking “is up there with electronic stability control and front and side air bags,” said Clarence Ditlow, executive director at the Center for Auto Safety, who would welcome consumer-group input. He told Mr Hirsh: “We would ask, if you are going to test the braking to make sure it stops a car going at 25 miles per hour, then why not at 50 – which is closer to highway speeds?” Consumer Reports is already on the job. Automotive test director Jake Fisher said that, as automatic braking finds its way into more vehicles, the independent product testing and review publication will stop recommending cars that lack it.  NHTSA, with help from the insurance institute, will work with automakers on the details of the rollout, including performance criteria and a time-frame, NHTSA spokesman Gordon Trowbridge told the Los Angeles Times . “This is not an enforcement or a recall issue,” said Mr Trowbridge. “The companies are making this commitment in the absence of a federal mandate.”  That is not to say that a mandate would not be forthcoming if the initiative shows signs of slowing. NHTSA, with its mission to “save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce vehicle-related crashes,” happens to be an agency of the Executive Branch of the USA government. Thus, supporters of automatic braking systems have an influential friend in Washington: President Barack Obama. Dorothy Fabian – Features Editor

48

Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2015

www.read-wca.com